The end of the year is one very special time for The Brothers Brick staff, and we get to recall all of our most favourite builds of the year. This year’s shortlist turned out to be a fascinating showcase of LEGO fans’ insane talent. It was insanely hard to limit it to somewhat fathomable about of builds, but we did our best and pulled together our selection of the best LEGO creations of 2022 for our sevenths annual LEGO Creation of the Year award.
Take a look at the fantastic models we’ve shortlisted, and stay tuned for the announcement of our LEGO Creation of the Year 2022 on New Year’s Eve!
Be sure to check out the LEGO Creation of the Year 2021, LEGO Creation of the Year 2020, LEGO Creation of the Year 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016 to see what honourable company this year’s nominations are keeping.
Right from the start, let’s jump into the absolute LEGO-madness, with some of the most bizarre use of parts we’ve seen this year. Look at Castle Ja’baa by one and only Andreas Lenander, or you risk missing all the peculiar little details. And no, we don’t care about Jabba: finally, he was turned into something beautiful.
Member of SPSLUG, Kimberly Giffen, blew our minds away with a jaw-dropping large-scale garden diorama. Full of colours, flowers, and smart building solutions, it’s full of meticulous architectural details. And if you missed it, this stunning build won honours at BrickCon this year; yet another solid reason why this build got a spot on our shortlist.
From quaint rural corners of the Earth — to the galaxy far, far away. Well, the list won’t be complete without a Star Wars creation, right? This year, Venator-class Star Destroyer by FlyInSpace grabs our attention. Built with 3,145 pieces, its place among LEGO Ultimate Star Wars sets. Still, it light years ahead with its fantastic tiled design.
Next on the list, is a long journey to the land of floating rocks. First Order Lego crushed every other rock with his definitive take on the theme. “Epic” is the most moderate word we have for this project titled Floating city of Lanac, as it almost seems to defeat laws of gravity and LEGO building.
Meanwhile, Casey McCoy got us checking our display settings, as his Noir: A Grade-A Gray Day – 1 vignette is something quite unique. Have you ever seen any other LEGO fan building so literately while being limited by only nine colours? We are ever in love with the composition of this scene, effortlessly capturing the 30’s/40’s era.
Inspired by the board game Everdell, John Snyder and Isaac Snyder combine their LEGO collections creating a fascinating fantasy tale set in a forest. And, of course, it’s all about the minute details (dinosaur tails, spider legs and plant limbs used for the wooden castle gate) that together form one stunning picture.
LEGO builds with stories behind them take special place in our hearts. One of them, a brick-built portrait commemorating jjakk‘s best friend Adren, who passed away earlier this year, is not just touching, it’s actually a mind-blowing LEGO creation. One part sculpture and one part mosaic, this build is a stunningly beautiful likeness. The variety of color and texture gives the final model a fabulous artistic flair that we’re sure would make Arden proud.
Finally, we arrive at the table served with oddly elegant chocolate desserts… or is it LEGO? Served by talented Jaroslaw Walter, they instantly evoke a $50 a plate Michelin Star dessert course. And quite possibly this is the most minimalist creations we ever nominated for the Creation of the Year award.
We hope you agree this is an impressive selection of LEGO models, all deserving of being shortlisted as the best of the year. Look out for the announcement of our LEGO Creation of the Year 2022 on New Year’s Eve!